Justin Fields and DJ Moore Are on the Clock
In their second practice against a secondary offering resistance, Justin Fields found DJ Moore deep along the sideline and hit him before defensive backs recovered to force the play out of bounds.
It's the type of thing the two Bears hope happens over and over again this season, sans the out of bounds.
Building that rapport between receiver and quarterback is what the offseason work is all about.
"Having that communication during practice, during film, on what they're thinking vs. certain coverages and stuff like that," Fields said of receivers. "Just to get on the same page.
"Once you're on the same page mentally it just comes down to reading their body language and knowing what they're gonna do vs. certain coverages."
The real issue both face is time. How long does it take for this to happen, exactly?
Fields being younger might have a few guesses but Moore has played five seasons with more quarterbacks than even the quarterback-challenged Bears normally use for the same given period. Moore believes it can take a lot less time than some people might believe.
"How long? I want to say probably to the end of OTAs and through minicamp and then starting back up, you know you got that break (until training camp), and then you gotta start it all over again," Moore said. "Going into training camp, probably about two to three days to get back on track where we ended in OTAs."
So it will take into the first week of training camp. Pass-starved Bears fans need to hold Moore, Fields and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to that guesstimate.
It doesn't sound as thought the two have been spending countless hours away from Halas Hall trying to get into each other's head, if that's necessary at all.
Fields was asked Tuesday after OTA practice how much work he's been doing with his actual receives away from the facility in the offseason.
"I've been working out with them of course," Fields said. "OTAs, Velus (Jones) and Khalil (Herbert) are down in Florida so I got to train with them a little bit. So I'm good."
Throwing to his No. 1 running back and number something wide receiver hardly seems like building rapport with Moore or even with Chase Claypool, although the Bears seem pleased with Claypool's efforts so far.
Coach Matt Eberflus especially likes it.
"I do because him second time going around, he knows the formations and the motions and knows the route disciplines," Eberflus said. "He's learning that as we go and you can certainly see him getting more comfortable adjusting, too."
As for Moore's connection with Fields, to reach that date of a good camp connection near the end of July sometime will require better knowledge of what Fields himself is doing.
"Just understanding the game within the game," Moore said. "So, understanding the quarterback's footwork on different plays and just being in the right spot when he comes back.
"If I'm on the back side, just knowing that, 'Hey, I'm the back side read.' Or if I am on the front side, understanding his footwork for the front side. Just honing in on that."
As for the off-field stuff, it's not so much working together away from Halas Hall as it is getting to know each other, period.
"We can have the connection on the field but when you go deeper into it, it's the off-the-field relationship, the locker room relationship, even outside of work relationship," Moore said. "That's what we are going to keep doing."
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